“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” – John 14:12-14

God’s greatest gift of all is undoubtedly the gift of abundant, eternal life through the confessed belief in Jesus Christ. Part and parcel to that gift is what Jesus left behind for us – the Holy Spirit. And, according to Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit we, corporately or perhaps even as individual followers, we can do what Jesus did and even greater things (Meízōn) than Jesus did while on earth. Whew! Wrap your head around that while you unwrap your gift.

Below is an excerpt from my book, EMPTIED that attempts to unwrap the Gift

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Exhibit 7 – Based Upon the Continued Miracles Performed by His Disciples

In the book of Acts, Jesus’ original disciples carried out miraculous works with some being what could be described as “even greater things.” Also, we see other non-original disciples (Paul and Stephen) who carried out miraculous works.

If Jesus did the miracles as God then it would seem that men or disciples would not have been able to continue doing them. Jesus, himself, taught that all the power was from God the Father and that men could and would do even greater things than what the Father did through Jesus.

In John 14:12-14 Jesus responds to Philip saying, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

The Greek word for “works” is also often translated as “things,” which I believe, in context, is commonly understood to be the great and powerful signs and wonders that were performed through Jesus. The same word is used in Matthew 11:4-5: “Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” (Italics added)

We see these works or things continued by the Apostles in Acts 5:12,16: “And through the hands of the apostle’s many signs and wonders were done among the people . . . Also, a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.”

The writer of Hebrews testifies that these works or things continue through common men in Hebrews 2:4: “God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will.”

Even Greater Things
John 14:12 is an amazing declaration by Jesus. A very common and perhaps the most prevalent interpretation of this passage is that Jesus is speaking to the disciples and He is saying that as the Body of Christ, they will one day do even greater things than He could as one person. When Jesus spoke these words, He had not yet died on the cross for mankind’s salvation, and His followers would be entrusted with the greater task of preaching the Gospel and leading mankind to salvation through belief in Jesus.

However, the Greek to me is open to some interpretation and can indicate something else. I believe Jesus is answering the disciple, Philip, with “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”

The Greek word used in this passage is kakemonos, meaning “and he, he also.” A few major English translations translate kakemonos as “they” but the vast majority of English translations use “he.” The indication is that Jesus is not only referring to His church as a whole but to His individual disciples as well.

Speaking Directly to Disciple Philip?
As further indication that Jesus may have been referring to individual disciples in John 14:12, we find this account in Acts chapter 8. The focus is on Philip going to Samaria. What did he do there? If Jesus was responding directly to Philip in John 14:12, saying that he, as an individual follower, could do the same and even greater things, Luke records that Philip did indeed do many of the same works as Jesus. In Samaria, the multitude heeded Philip for what he spoke and the miracles he did brought great joy to the entire city.

In Samaria, the multitude came to believe in Christ and were baptized due to Philip’s ministry. Later, Philip converted the Ethiopian and when he baptized him it says, “the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away” and he found himself in Azotus. In Luke 4 Jesus mysteriously passed unnoticed through an angry mob, but there is no record of Jesus ever being whisked away and teleported over 15 miles. Nice trick. Hmmm? A greater thing?

Greater Than Jesus?
The concern here is that we might be saying a Christ-follower could be greater than Jesus himself. Christ-followers are not greater than Jesus—He always was and always will be THE Son of God. We are saved by Jesus’ unique life, death, and resurrection. He is the Christ – the Messiah – our only Savior. And, Jesus was uniquely filled with the Spirit without measure as confirmed in John 3:34, “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.” (KJV)

As Christians, we are called to be followers and imitators of Christ. We follow Him. If we are doing a good imitation, then Jesus could be interpreted as saying in John 14:12 that we can do the things He did as a man empowered by the Holy Spirit. And, possibly do even greater things or works. What those greater things or works are, is a whole other debate.

A disciple, doing some works that appear greater than what Jesus did (Billy Graham or other evangelists reaching crowds greater in size than Jesus ever spoke to) would not make him/her God or greater than Jesus because it is only by the Spirit of God/Jesus working in them and through them that they can do any of these things. Could it be that Jesus may be challenging the church (Body of Christ) and even his individual disciples to do things beyond what He had done?

Even while writing books about spiritual matters, I’m realizing that Jesus never wrote a book. I am particularly ill-equipped to do it and it’s a daunting task, but if I am following God’s leading, then Jesus is saying, I didn’t do it, but you can! (Through the amazing technology of the internet, my blog has reached people in over 50 countries across the planet. That’s a further reach than Jesus’ ministry while on earth. A greater thing?)

When writing to the Ephesian church, Paul (doing a greater thing?) seemed to want to encourage the Ephesians to measure themselves to the man Jesus, writing in Ephesians 4:13: “Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
(The original Greek uses the phrase, “full measure” or plērōmatos metron which implies being filled up to a limited portion of the fullness of Christ. Some Christian thinkers refer to it as, “Believers having the Spirit by measure.”)

This interpretation of John 14:12 can be a scary proposition for many Christians for what it implies as to the potential power we may have in Christ Jesus and how much may be going unrealized.

Still, I believe it is God encouraging us and coaxing us to the fullness of the life and ministry He intended for us. If nothing else, I see the language leaving an opening for differing opinions and debate.

One opinion holds that certain gifts Jesus and the first Apostles performed are no longer available to us today. While this is not what I see, I humbly acknowledge that many scholarly and very credible Christ-followers believe this. (For more on Cessation of Sign Gifts there is Appendix A in Emptied)

A Study of Jesus’ Miracles
Is Jesus actually saying, You know all the miraculous things I have done? Yes, you can do those and even greater ones?
I have to say that John 14:12 is one scripture, in particular, when reading it I would roll my eyes and just move on. Right! Even greater things than the Son of God? Come on, man!

But, as the idea that Jesus may have carried on throughout his life fully as a man took hold, I decided to take a closer look at His miracles. I did a study of the 37 documented miracles of Jesus as described in the Gospels.
Considering the different miracles Jesus performed, I researched how the miracles performed by other Biblical figures might compare to Jesus’ miracles.

Peter declares in Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know.” (Italics added)
With that in mind, I wondered if any other person in the Bible had done something equivalent to each of the miracles recorded of Jesus?

Based on my research, I have concluded that with every recorded miracle performed by Jesus, there was something similar initiated by another Biblical figure (human) – and in several cases in what could be described as an “even greater” way. Below is a sampling of what I found:
1. All of the same physical healings performed by Jesus were performed by the disciples in the book of Acts – even on two occasions raising someone from the dead.
2. Jesus called Lazarus from the grave but Ezekiel called dry bones to come alive.
3. Jesus turned a few vats of water into fine wine – Moses turned an entire river of water to blood in Exodus 7:17
4. Jesus calmed storms – Moses parted the Red Sea – Exodus 14:13 and Elijah stopped the rain for seven years before bringing the rain again in 1Kings17-18 & James 5:17-18
5. Jesus multiplied loaves and fishes to feed 4000 and 3000 – Moses prayed for food (meat and manna) to feed the entire Hebrew people for years – Exodus 16:11-12
6. Jesus caused a fish to deliver tax money from its mouth – Jonah was delivered from a fish’s mouth onto the shores of Nineva.
7. How about walking on water? Certainly, Jesus was the only one to do that! – Oops, that’s right, Peter walked on water too.

I have looked at every recorded miracle of Jesus and found Biblical figures whom God used to do something similar and in some cases done in arguably greater terms. (A more complete list is found in Appendix B of Emptied)

Please do not take this as an attempt to diminish who Jesus was/is. No one else was or will ever be THE Son of God and THE anointed Messiah who was uniquely filled with the Spirit without measure. He is forever God. What excites me is to find that what I considered to be one of the most outlandish statements Jesus ever made is proven true right within the Biblical record.

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R.A. Torrey writes, “He (Jesus) lived, thought, worked, taught, conquered sin and won victories for God in the power of that same Spirit whom we may all Have. Whatever He realized through the Holy Spirit is there for us to realize also.”

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“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works (Ergon) I do he will do also; and greater works (Meízōn) than these he will do because I go to My Father.” – John 14:12

• Ergon – Work, deed, doing, labor, things done.
• Meízōn – greater, greatest, larger, elder, stronger, more, special, unique.

According to my reading of John 14:12, because of 1) our Belief in Jesus and 2) the fact that Jesus went to the Father, we have been equipped to do even greater things.

This Christmas season I challenge you to think about this gift: The ability to do the things (Ergon) Jesus did and to do even greater things (Meízōn). What does that mean for my life? For your life? For the lives around us?

What was the purpose of the Things and the Greater Things? – to heal and restore to reveal the reality of God – that people would be drawn into a right relationship with God.

We all have life experiences that in some ways (small or large) are unique to Jesus’ recorded life as a man. (marriage, children, family, education, jobs, skills, talents, pursuits). Could these be some of the Meízōn things? Things Jesus didn’t do but implores you to use these greater things for our mutual joy and for God’s glory.

Personally, I believe it goes well beyond that but it’s a good starting point. Ultimately, Jesus went to be with the Father, leaving us with the Holy Spirit not just to muddle along in building His Kingdom but so we could go beyond where he left off – to continue His work in even greater ways. What an honor. What a gift. God works in unique and marvelous ways and He desires to use us in ways unique to who we are.

Merry Christmas! Now, open up the gift of Meízōn and consider the possibilities.